The Koh-i-Noor
Historian and author William Dalrymple and BBC journalist Anita Anand join us to discuss their new history of the Koh-i-Noor, the famed Indian diamond, which was controversially brought to Britain in the 19th century
History Extra podcast
Living through Partition
We speak to Kavita Puri, presenter of the new BBC Radio 4 series Partition Voices, which tells the story of the turbulent birth of India and Pakistan through interviews with those who lived through it
The lost objects of South Asia
Kanishk Tharoor talks about the latest series of BBC Radio 4’s Museum of Lost Objects, which explores the heritage of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
The brilliance of Henry James
In advance of a major new Henry James season on BBC Radio 4, Professor Sarah Churchwell explores the life and work of the great Anglo-American author, whose books offer insights to changes in the USA and in the role of women in the late 19th and early…
The English in America
Historian and author James Evans talks to us about his new book Emigrants, which explains why hundreds of thousands of English people decided to make a new life in the Americas during the 17th century. He also explores the challenges of migrating to…
Germany’s World War Two
In a talk that he delivered at our recent World War Two event in Bristol, Professor Nicholas Stargardt reflects on how the Second World War was experienced by ordinary Germans, both on the front line and back home
Voices of the Cold War
We are joined by the BBC journalist Bridget Kendall who picks out some of the most fascinating stories that feature in her new book and Radio 4 series on life in the Cold War
A legendary spymaster
Historical author Henry Hemming discusses the life and career of Maxwell Knight, an eccentric spymaster and nature enthusiast who may have inspired the Bond character M
Hans Sloane and the British Museum
Author and historian James Delbourgo discusses his new book Collecting the World, which explores the life of the 18th-century natural historian Hans Sloane whose collections went on to form the basis of the British Museum in London
Female flyers in Nazi Germany
Author and biographer Clare Mulley discusses her new book The Women Who Flew for Hitler, which explores the lives of two remarkable women who became leading aviators in the Third Reich